Perhaps the most far-flung minor island in Hong Kong, Tung Ping Chau is closer to the mainland than it is to Hong Kong – a trait that made it a destination for Chinese refugees in the 50s and 60s. Visitors can literally see Shenzhen in the distance from the shore, and some mobile phones can even pick up on faint cellular network signals from the mainland.
Over 2,000 farmers and fishermen used to inhabit the island, but as time passed, many were lured away by job prospects in the city, and only 50 to 60 people live there full-time now. Some descendants of former residents return over the weekends or public holidays, operating restaurants and dormitories for visitors, who can explore abandoned houses of former residents, which have been rapidly reclaimed by nature, a Tin Hau temple, as well as a boarded-up colonial-era training camp.